As a kid, I would revel in the gigantic orange juicer that sat out the front of this shop; a robot of a machine that sucked the fruit up from an abundant barrel of the stuff, crushing the oranges in its transparent belly and squirting the juice out the other end into plastic litre bottles.
Antico's has seen many an incarnation since then, but it's always remained a supplier of quality fruit and veg at prices a little on the high side (their housemade salad mix features edible marigolds and violas, if that's any indication of gastronomic clout). Most recently, they've expanded to include a full cured and fresh meat section complete with dangling salami and giant legs of ham waiting to be carved to order.
Though produce is always fresh and they stock a range of harder-to-find items - like lamb's lettuce, shimeji mushrooms and Thai eggplants - the prices are just too high to do the bulk of my shopping here. In the deli section, a 200 gram pot of bircher muesli is $6, while a small bag of paella rice is a whopping $10. I will pop in here if I'm after a foodie gift at the last minute, as their range of pantry goods include the aesthetically pleasing Simon Johnson products with walnut oil and tarragon vinegar aplenty. read more